First Day of Sukkot – Shabbat:
Lev 22:26- 23:44; Num 29:12-16; Zech 14:1-21; Rev 21:1-7
Exo 33:12- 34:26; Num 9:17-25; Ezek 38:18 – 39:16 ; John 7:37-44
Shemini Atzeret:
Deut 14:22-16:8; Num 29:35-30:1; 1 Kings 8:54-66; Matt 17:1-9; Mark 12:28-33
What can I bring for Sukkot to bless the brethren? That’s the kind of question I’ve fielded from many coming to our celebration. My reply is that the most important thing for us to bring is what YHWH first commands for us on that first day – ‘the fruit of goodly trees’ (Leviticus 23:40)
Why the fruit of beautiful, goodly trees? We know from Paul’s epistle to the Galatians was that the deeper, spiritual meaning behind the fruit is that of the Spirit. (1 John 13:34-35; 15:12,17; Romans 12:10; 13:8)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23a
Having brought all our sins to the Mercyseat at the Throne of Grace, we’ve entered into a more spiritual character as believers in the Messiah. So the most important thing you can bring is your love for YHWH and His love for the mishpochah, the family of Yah. May the love of Yeshua be what motivates, strengthens, and compels you to serve as a volunteer in the community at whatever Sukkot gathering you meet.
For, brothers, you were called to freedom. Only do not use the freedom for an opening to the flesh. But through love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13
And let us consider one another, to incitement of love and of good works. Hebrews 10:24
Bring your joy, for He commands: ‘You shall rejoice before YHWH your God for seven days.’ Rejoice always! (2 Cor 6:10, Php 4:4; 1 Thes 5:16)
Bring your shalom with you, pursuing peace with everyone (Rom 14:19, 2 Tim 2:22; Heb 12:14; 1 Pet 3:11). Counter lashon harah, evil speaking, and be blessed as a peacemaker and you’ll be called a ‘child of God.’ (Mat 5:9)
Please pray about all nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit to bring for that first day of celebration.
Starting with the fruit of the Spirit, what other characteristics of our Messiah should we be bringing to our Sukkot gatherings? Let’s take a deeper look into the four branches that start off the Feast of Joy:
Messiah and His Body in the Four Branches
You shall take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, and branches of palm trees, and boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before YHWH your Elohim seven days. Leviticus 23:40
In obeying the mitzvah (commandment) to gather four types of branches, four characteristics are foreshadowed of the One Who is the Tree of Life, Yeshua our Messiah.
The seeker of marvelous things in His Torah can also find four characteristics of His body – believers in Messiah – that He gathers to stand together for His mo’edim (festivals).
The Fruit of Goodly Trees
Yeshua is the Tree of Life that bears fruit through us for others to eat and to multiply His seed. His will is that we first and foremost be like this type of tree, for Yeshua said:
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in My Name, He may give it to you.” John 15:16
The Fruit of Goodly Trees
In the Torah, YHWH prizes fruit trees. He has commands on picking their fruit (Leviticus 19:23). He provides special protection for them during times of war: “Only the trees which you know are not fruit trees you shall destroy and cut down, that you may construct siegeworks against the city that is making war with you until it falls. Deuteronomy 20:20
Could it be that during the wars of the Great Tribulation, He will protect fruitful believers, when others are allowed to be cut down? Will not the fruitful wheat remain, while the worthless tares be taken out? I’d rather not be cut down.
May we all bear all the fruits of the Spirit during this season of our joy, obeying the great mitzvah to love one another. It bears repeating:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such, there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
And the Branches of Palm Trees
The lofty fronds of a palm tree arch over the fruitful dates at the heart, or lev, of the tree. The Hebrew word lev is spelled lamed-bet, bl, which are the outer letters and the outer fronds of the lulav. The Hebrew word for palm is tamar, to
be erect, or upright. The Hebrew letters for a frond is kipah, spelled kaf-pey, pk, which is an open hand with line upon line, arching over and covering the heart, the lev, of the tree.
How do these word pictures depict the Messiah? Yeshua opens His hand to us to offer line-upon-line instructions. In His heart, He desires for us to take what we receive from the light of the fronds, so that we may grow abundant fruit. He is the lofty, upright one Who upholds His people with the righteous instructions of the Torah. This may be why the palm tree was known as the ancient symbol of a covenant-keeping Israel, who was called Yeshurun, the Upright One (Deuteronomy 32:15; 33:5,26; Isaiah 44:2).
And when the storms of persecution blew against our Messiah, He bowed His will to the Father, but His will never broke. He then rose again upright for His roots clung to the Rock. A palm tree wraps its growing roots deep around a large rock. Then when destructive hurricane winds blow, this strong tree remains upright and alive as peace returns.
And the Boughs of Leafy Trees
Nothing like a leafy shade tree with a dense canopy to give a traveler relief on a hot summer day! Birds of the field find shelter here, nest in its branches, and sing praises to Yah!
In the wilderness, His glory cloud covered all of Israel. When the heat of the trials of life is on, Yeshua, the Tree of Life, provides relief by covering us under His shadow. As you set your hand to work hard for Him in this world, remember that:
“YHWH is the One keeping you; YHWH is your shade on your right hand.” Psalm 121:5
Let us also be like our father Abraham, who welcomed sojourning strangers into his tent, eagerly refreshing them with his hospitality and generosity. Let us emanate the welcoming aroma of Messiah like a big, leafy myrtle tree.
And Willows of the Brook
The Hebrew words for willow and leafy tree both refer to darkness underneath, a cover of shade from the hot sun. Willows grow in the lowest terrain at the bottom of a valley, in humble places by the brook. Willows provide a covering of shade where a soul refreshes itself with living water.
Because a willow lives to draw on living water, even in the heat of summer, its leaves do not fade. But when heavy rains fall and flood waters tear them out, it has a remarkable resiliency to re-sprout in new places downstream. Even the smallest branch, though hidden under cobblestones, with water will re-emerge abundantly again to provide needed cover on the banks of a stream.
Although Yeshua was cut off from the land of the living, and was dead and buried, His Spirit re-sprouts born-again souls that multiplied from the same Tree down the River of Life.
When we humble ourselves and weep for souls in prayer, though storms of life may bring disasters, many new lives will spring up down by the Living Waters of His Spirit.
Addressing Yeshurun (the Upright One), YHWH promised:
“I will pour My Spirit upon your seed, and My blessing upon your offspring. And they shall sprout as among grass, as willows by streams of water.” Isaiah 44:3b,4
Although others notice no scent, nor find any fruit in the lowly willow, her branches reproduce the Life of the Spirit.
On Sukkot, we stand together as a forest of growing trees:
… to proclaim the year of the favor of YHWH … that they might be called ‘trees of righteousness,’ the planting of YHWH, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:2,3
Seek Him and You’ll find Him in the leaves of the Holy Writ,
For lo, He is in the volume of the TaNahK and of the B’rit!
Preparing for the Last Great Day of Sukkot
On Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day of Sukkot, we will be lingering with the Messiah and His people for one more day. Eight is the number of a new beginning with Him. How does our Bridegroom prepare His Bride for the coming wedding feast? Paul expounded on this revelation on how His Word washes out spot and wrinkle, that she might be holy and blameless upon His coming:
Husbands love your wives just as Messiah also loved His community and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, having cleansed her by immersion in the Word. Messiah did this so that He might present to Himself His glorious community – not having stain or wrinkle or any such thing, but so that she might be holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27
So let us meditate on the following words washing us, preparing us for the day of receiving the outpouring of the Spirit from our innermost beings as Yeshua prophesied on Shemini Atzeret:
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua stood up and cried out loudly, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, ‘out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
Now He said this about the Ruach, whom those who trusted in Him were going to receive; for the Ruach was not yet given since Yeshua was not yet glorified.
John 7:37-39
In that day you will say: “I will give You thanks, YHWH, for though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
Behold, God is my salvation! I will trust and will not be afraid. For the Lord YHWH is my strength and my song. He also has become my Salvation.”
With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
On that day you will say: “Give thanks to YHWH. Proclaim His Name! Declare His works to the peoples, so they remember His exalted Name.
Sing to YHWH, for He has done gloriously. Let this be known in all the earth.
Cry out and shout, inhabitant of Zion! For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 12:1-6
Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and praise YHWH. This is the gate of YHWH – the righteous will enter through it. I give You thanks because You have answered me and have become my Yeshua (Salvation). The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone. It is from YHWH: it is marvelous in our eyes! This is the day that YHWH has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Hoshia-na! Please, YHWH, save now! We beseech You, YHWH, prosper us! Baruch haba b’Shem YHWH (Blessed is He who comes in the Name of YHWH). We bless you from the House of YHWH. YHWH is God, and He has given us light. Join the festival with branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I praise You. You are my God – I exalt You! Praise YHWH, for He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever. Psalm 118:19-29
“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance.
Incline your ear and come to Me. Shema (hear, believe, and obey), that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David. Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, and a nation which knows you not will run to you, Because of YHWH your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.
Seek YHWH while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to YHWH, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares YHWH. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, and instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, and it will be a memorial to YHWH, for an everlasting sign which will not be cut off. Isaiah 55:1-13
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. John 19:34
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book and all the people. Hebrews 9:19
This is he that came by water and blood, even Yeshua the Messiah; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness because the Spirit is truth.
And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. 1 John 5:6,8
After these things, I looked, and behold, a vast multitude that no one could count – from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues – was standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10
Be washed clean by His Word! Be ready for the best festival ever!
Get ready to receive an outpouring of the Spirit and rejoice in YHWH for His Yeshua, His Salvation! Let’s rehearse the marriage supper of the Lamb, loving Yeshua, loving one another.
Finding the Tree of Life in a forest of trees of righteousness (Isaiah 61:3),
David Klug, Retired Forest Service Restoration Specialist